Bahrain police: Homemade bomb targets police patrol, wounds several policemen

An anti-government protester, right, covers his face from tear gas fired by riot police during clashes following a traditional third-day mourning gathering for Ali al-Sabagh, 17, in Bani Jamra, Bahrain, on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2013. Authorities said Al-Sabagh was killed when an explosive device he was carrying detonated prematurely. (AP Photo/Hasan Jamali) (The Associated Press)

A Bahraini anti-government protester holds up a picture of Ali al-Sabagh, 17, near riot police engaged in clashes with other protesters in Bani Jamra, Bahrain, on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2013. Clashes erupted after a traditional third-day mourning gathering for Al-Sabagh, who authorities said was killed when an explosive device he was carrying detonated prematurely. (AP Photo/Hasan Jamali) (The Associated Press)

MANAMA, Bahrain – Police in Bahrain say a homemade bomb targeting a police patrol has wounded an unspecified number of policemen, the latest in escalating violence in the tense Gulf nation.

Anti-government factions have stepped up the intensity and frequency of bombings as part of a more than 32-month uprising by Bahrain's Shiite majority against the ruling Sunni dynasty, which retains support from the West.

Monday's police statement says the blast wounded a "number" of policemen, including two seriously.

It says the bomb exploded on Saturday as the police were on patrol in Demistan, about 10 kilometers (six miles) southwest of the capital, Manama.

The statement gave no other details, including the precise number of policemen hurt in the blast.

Bahrain is home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet.